This site provides
oral histories from the island of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The site began in 1996 with personal stories from Turkish Cypriots lilving in the north of
Cyprus, who lived
through "the troubles" on Cyprus between 1963 and 1974. Oral histories
were collected in 1996 by students at Eastern Mediterranean University
in Famagusta.

The site was expanded with the addition of personal stories from Greek Cypriots in 2010. The Oral histories were collected by students at the University of Cyprus in Nicosia.

In addition to these
collected personal stories, the site provides some a link to contemporary
scholarly discussions of Cyprus history and the conflict. These histories
focus on the circumstances leading to the division of the island between
the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, and the possibilities
for peace and reunification.

The information in
this site is intended to help visitors better understand the perspective
of Cypriots in what has come to be known in the international community
as "the Cyprus Issue." Cyprus today is a divided island; the world community
officially recognizes the entire island as the Republic of Cyprus. The Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus is recognized only by Turkey and is referred to as "the pseudo-state" or "occupied
territory" by many Greek Cypriots. Some Turkish Cypriots refer to the south as the "so-called Republic of Cyprus," arguing that power sharing agreements fell apart in the early 1960s and the RoC has no administrative control of the north.

When this site was
launched in 1996, graphics were kept to a minimum and photos were reproduced
in black and white to provide faster access for visitors from parts of
the world with limited telecommunications infrastructure.

The original site title, "Voices
from Turkish Cyprus," was changed in 2008 to "Voices of Turkish
Cypriots" and "Cypriot Voices" in 2010 with an eye to the reconcilliation efforts between the
island's communities.

For a look into the culture and the oral histories of Greek Cypriots, see Nicos Philippou's Off the Map (2005 Intercollege Press, Nicosia) and Coffee House Embellishments (2007 University of Nicosia Press).